Pamper Mom with a DIY spa day

When Joanie White’s son was a toddler, she decided to treat herself to a homemade facial mask. She lay down with cucumbers over her eyes and hoped for a moment of relaxation. But her son had other plans.

Her son’s now 14 and her daughter 18. In honor of Mother’s Day, White shared some of her favorite recipes for spa-worthy beauty treatments.

“I tried to pick some really simple ones,” she noted. “They could be gifts. Kids could paint little jars and decorate them with ribbons.”

Advertisement

What mother doesn’t appreciate a little pampering?

“Women need to start treating themselves like they are worth pampering,” White stressed. “They take care of everyone else and leave no time for themselves! When they do, they usually don’t think about what is in these products they are slathering on themselves. Everything you put on your skin is absorbed by your body!”

Also an instructor at Cooking Spotlight in Phoenixville and a health coach, White favors organic ingredients. She recommends researching products on the Environmental Working Group’s website, www.EWG.org.

“They have a database called ‘Skin Deep’ which gives you tons of info on what is in the products you use every day,” White offered.

“You can buy a $35 body scrub full of chemicals, but you can make one in your kitchen for $2 to $3,” she said. “You can’t eliminate chemicals entirely, but you can cut down.”

“I like the one with the coconut oil the best because it holds very well,” she said. “That will keep for weeks because the coconut oil has antibacterial qualities.”

White’s Super Hydrating Face Mask blends avocado, banana and honey.

“This mask is easier to use in the bath or before a shower unless you want banana hair,” she described. “In fact, if you have no one to share it with (because it doesn’t store well), apply it to your hair too because it’s a great hydrating hair mask as well.”

Another quick pick-me-up is White’s Skin Quencher and Toner, which she calls “very invigorating.”

“Here is a drink that is awesome for your skin, and it doubles as a toner! Yes. You can splash this on your face and drink it,” White noted. It’s “so hydrating to the skin, and lemons are alkalizing and detoxifying to the liver, which also does wonders for the skin.”

“I even eat the mint and cucumbers left in the bottom of the pitcher,” she added. “Use as a toner at night because of the lemon juice in it.”

Although she’s working this Mother’s Day, White does take time to enjoy homemade beauty treatments and dreams of her ideal celebration – “on a beach with my kids, my husband and a good book.”

Easy Body Scrub

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a jar really well. Slather on skin in shower. Rinse well.

Super Hydrating Face Mask

1/2 ripe avocado

1/2 ripe banana

1/4 teaspoon raw honey

Smash ingredients together really well or mix in blender. Apply to clean skin avoiding the eyes, and let it work for 15 minutes. Wash off well. This makes enough for two people, so share with a friend!

Skin Quencher and Toner

2 sliced organic lemons

1 sliced organic cucumber

Big handful of mint leaves

Smash the ingredients a little in the bottom of a large glass pitcher and fill with filtered water. Refrigerate until cold. Enjoy all day.

(recipes courtesy of Joanie White)

Free workshop

On Wednesday, May 15 at 6:30 p.m., chef and caterer Joanie White will host a free workshop for women at Boyertown Community Library featuring healthy foods and homemade body products “to nourish you inside and out.” Call the library to register at 610-369-0496 or learn more at www.joaniewhitewellness.com.